1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk drives for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk drive optimizing write current settings relative to drive operating characteristics and ambient temperature readings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art has suggested to compute nominal write current settings over a plurality of ambient temperatures relative to the coercivity of the media used for a plurality of disk drives in a product line. Typically a lower write current is used for higher ambient temperatures to help minimize inter-track interference, whereas a higher write current is used for lower ambient temperatures to ensure the media saturates. During normal “in-the-field” operation, a write driver circuit is programmed with the appropriate nominal write current setting relative to the ambient temperature of the disk drive. However, computing nominal write current settings relative to the coercivity of the media may not provide the optimal write current settings for each ambient temperature. Further, using static, nominal write current settings does not compensate for changes in the drive operating characteristics occurring over time while in-the-field (e.g., environmental changes and electrical and mechanical changes).
There is, therefore, a need to better optimize the write current in a disk drive relative to drive operating characteristics and the ambient temperature.